Blue Eclipse
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: Chapter 5: Tea with a Serial Killer. "No one gives you more attention than my uncle. He's brilliant and he devoted his life to you. Now, without him you are nothing. This is why you are threatened by me because I can take his attention from you."
1. Avery Sawyer Jane

**Chapter 1: Avery Sawyer Jane**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own The Mentalist or any of the _italicized plus underlined_ stuff.

**IMPORTANT:** _Takes place near the beginning of Season 4, _**after**_ Jane's trail._

* * *

"This goofball is my uncle?" Avery gawked. She was looking through a one-way mirror from the lawyer's office. Jane was making silly faces at the giggling infant in the stroller. The mother was smiling and blushing. _Looks like he's a charmer. _

Her lawyer Patricia, a 50 year old elegant looking dark-skinned woman, glanced up from her desk and smiled. "It seems he's very good with children."

Avery quickly went over to her chair and sat down across from Patricia as Jane came in. The amused look was replaced with an expression of neutrality. They exchanged a formal greeting as Jane took a seat next to her.

The two adults began talking about legal paperwork and what-not while Avery stared in her peripheral vision at the man next to her. _What's with the change in attitude? He looked so cheerful with the little kid…_

"…so just sign here and we're done," Patricia handed a piece of paper and a pen to Jane.

Avery tried not to look too relieved. If she had to sign somewhere, she had no idea whether to sign 'Avery Sawyer' or 'Avery Jane.' Most likely the latter but she'd rather not mess up and do something stupid.

Thankfully Patricia cleared that up. "Here's your new I.D."

"Thank you." Avery read the name 'Avery Sawyer Jane.'

She grinned and quickly pocketed it. Her lawyer gave her an amused smile. Jane wondered what was so funny. Patricia had been with her when Avery was arguing with the DMV people to let her take the photo with her short blue hair. _I mean I can't be the first person taking an I.D. photo with hair dyed an unnatural color._

Patricia stood up and shook their hands. "Everything's taken care of so you are all set to go."

Jane and Avery thanked her and left. There was silence between them till they were on the highway. Then Jane began his interrogation.

"What was my 'sister' like?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Hard working I guess." Avery shrugged. "She was gone most of the time because of business."

He stopped at the lights and looked at her. Short indigo blue hair, blacks boots, jeans, and leather jacket, and carefully neutral dark brown eyes. She was trying to make a wall between them. "Did you have a lonely childhood?"

"No, not really," she stared out the window, thinking of her friends.

"What about your dad?"

"He died when I was just a kid."

"How did he die?"

"Cancer."

"What kind of cancer?"

Avery resisted the urge to glare. She knew he was going to look into her background later to make sure it all matched. She had heard about his unfortunate experiences with Red John. According to the news, Jane himself had admitted to killing that freak so the interrogation was annoying.

"The kind that kills."

"All cancer kills."

"…"

"So, where did you live?"

"With my mom," Avery was not going to say anything helpful until he asked genuinely instead of with fake politeness.

"Where did your mom live?"

"With me."

He smiled happily. "Where did you both live?"

"Together."

Her answers were getting shorter and shorter. Sensing her foul mood Jane stopped asking questions. Dinner was going to be an uncomfortable affair tonight.

* * *

Avery stepped out of the car and raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was just the two of us."

"It is," Jane said as he walked over to the door and unlocked it.

"Kind of big don't you think?" She eyed the white house. "You're just a consultant after all."

"I am not 'just a consultant.' I am a mentalist." He said over his shoulder.

_A master manipulator of thought and behavior._ She narrowed her eyes and followed him inside. Removing her shoes, she looked around.

"What do you think? A client of mine used to live here. He decided to move to London permanently and sold the house to me at a very low late. I picked the decor myself."

To the right of the door was a wide living room with three white leather couches, a rectangular glass table, and a wide screen black T.V. To the left of the door, across from the living room, was the kitchen with shiny grey granite counter top, white refrigerator, freezer, a silver stove, and tan cupboards.

"To be honest, it looks like one of those home interior magazines threw up in here. It's a bit creepy."

"But it's perfect." Jane argued.

"I know. That's why it's creepy." She gave some of the items in the house a distasteful look, already making plans to get rid of them.

"Feel free to redecorate if you want." Jane shrugged. "Your room is upstairs. It's the last one on the right. Your suitcases are already up there. I'll make dinner; you can go ahead and unpack."

"Okay," Avery walked up the stairs. The entire house was carpeted. Only the kitchen and the bathrooms' floors were tiles.

Standing at the tops of the stairs, there were four doors to the left and three to the right. Avery turned to her right. _Now, which room is mine?_ She opened the door to her right, it was a bathroom. She moved onto the next one. _Yup, it's this one._ _So the single door across from my room must be Uncle Jane's._

She sighed. _Uncle. That's going to take some getting used to._ Her mind automatically referred to him as 'Uncle Jane.' She didn't think she could take him seriously enough as 'Uncle Patrick.' It just sounded off. _'Uncle Jane' sounds cooler._ Shaking her head of her thoughts she went into her room and turned the lights on.

"Guess he must have heard blue is my favorite color." Avery looked around.

Front and center was a black-and-blue queen bed, to the right was a white desk with a black chair, to the left was a large white closet, and to the immediate right of the bedroom door was a blue-and-white dresser. The two windows' curtains, the walls, and the carpet were all dark blue. _Ooh,_ _I like this room._

Her suitcases were at the foot of the bed. She opened the first two that were stuffed with her clothes. The next one was full of dresses, shoes all together in one big bag, two make-up bags, and a bag full of her jewelry and accessories.

The fourth one had other personal items such as her electronics, photos, paintings, posters, wigs, and interesting objects she'd found wherever she went. The fifth and last suitcase was full of books. _But I have nowhere to put them. Hm, I'll think about it later._

* * *

**40 Minutes Later**

"Much better," Avery dusted her hands. The room looked homier now that her stuff was in it. Especially since she had removed the boring paintings and put up her posters and the paintings she'd done herself.

The walls were covered with _Naruto_, _Fairy Tail_, _Kuroshitsuji_, _Death Note_, _Blue Exorcist_, and _Bleach_ posters. There were also two _The Dark Knight_ posters, one _The Dark Knight Rises_, one _The Avengers_, one _X-Men_, one Breaking Benjamin, and one Lady Gaga poster.

Her bed had one pillow with the Akatsuki insignia and the other one with Grimmjow. There was also a Sasori, Sebastian, and Naruto plushie on the bed. Avery had bought majority of the stuff at the age of 13-14 when she had first discovered anime/manga_._ Now she thought she may have gone a bit overboard.

_I can't believe I used to think I was an Otaku._ Having taken the Otaku test and especially going over to the house of an actual Otaku was eye opener. _Seriously, that was insane._ Avery went downstairs muttering to herself.

"…I'll put the Ulquiorra, Akatsuki, _Kuroshitsuji_ and the _Fairy Tail_ pillows in the living room couches. Then remove the paintings, fake plants, boring lamps, the décor, and some of the rugs…"

"You're just in time," Jane pulled lasagna out of the oven.

"That smells really good." Avery said trying to keep from drooling.

"Why thank you. I love to cook." He set the lasagna on the counter-top to cool. "This is just simple Beef lasagna."

She made a face. "Don't say 'simple.' Last time I tried to make something 'simple' I nearly burned down the apartment. Or maybe that was because of the flame thrower."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "You used a flame thrower?"

Avery blushed. She had gotten the idea from Bard from _Kuroshitsuji_. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Besides, I'm at the age where making dumb decisions is totally alright."

"Doesn't matter, dumb decisions are made no matter the age." He said with a reminiscent look on his face.

A normal person would have moved on or talked about mistakes they could look back and laugh on. But Avery was a blunt person by nature. She spoke her mind—not really, it's just that her mouth tended to run faster than her brain sometimes. "Are you thinking about your wife and daughter?"

Jane gave her an amused smile. "You're very straight forward I see."

She shrugged. "I like to think myself truthful. Others think I'm insensitive because I don't hold back."

"It's refreshing, I'll give you that much." He said serving the lasagna. Then his phone rang. "Excuse me I have to take this call."

Avery started fanning the plate to make her dinner cool faster. She saw her uncle approach. "I'm guessing you have to leave?"

"Yeah, there's nearly half a day drive ahead and we have to be at the scene before morning. Sorry, but I have to go now." Jane patted his pocket to make sure his wallet was there. "Your school schedule should be in your room."

"Yeah, I saw it with the directions to school and the house keys."

"Right, and here," Jane took out a credit card and gave it to her. "I don't think I'll be back till Monday evening so buy your school supplies tomorrow. Your first day at school begins Monday."

Avery nodded. She didn't like changing schools in the middle of the year. But she was lucky enough to make it at the beginning of the second semester. That way at least she wouldn't have to worry about make up work and being behind other students.

"Wait, you need directions to the—"

"It's fine, Uncle Jane. I'll just look it up online."

"Right." He nodded then paused. "Wait, Uncle Jane?"

"It sounds better than 'Uncle Patrick.'" She giggled. "See, I won't be able to take you seriously like that."

"It's fine. I like 'Uncle Jane' better. Anyway, I have to go now. Remember to keep the doors and windows locked. And don't let anyone in. My cell phone number and the emergency contacts are on the refrigerator."

"Got it. See you Monday then." Avery smiled_. Huh, what do you know, he's pretty nice._

Jane slipped on his shoes and grinned before leaving. "Oh, and ah, no flame throwers."

"…It was just this one time…"

Avery picked up her dinner and went to her room. _I'm going to re-arrange the entire place before Uncle Jane gets back. Let's see, I can put…_

* * *

**Notes to Readers**

-Jane is a complicated character. I'll try my best to keep to his personality but it will be hard. Don't get angry if I mess up.

-This story is centered on Avery and Jane's relationship (not a romantic one obviously, they are family) and her impact on his life and thinking. And vice versa.

-Pairings. I'll stick with canon. But this story is more about crime so I'll be creating new serial killers.

-Red John is a big factor in this story. I'm going to take the liberty of getting him more involved. There will also be new plots I create myself.

-There will be 3 other OCs.

* * *

_**Please Review~ **_


	2. Making Friends and Drabbles

**Chapter 2: Making Friends and Drabbles  
**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Mentalist, Apple, Finding Nemo, and Mario Kart

**Previously**: Avery meets her uncle and thinks he's a goofball. They go to his house and Avery starts making plans to redecorate the place. Jane has to leave for a case and gives Avery his credit card to buy school supplies.

* * *

"Almost there," Avery grunted as she moved the pot to the garage.

It wasn't very heavy but it was as big as her so she kept smacking her knees against it. She breathed a sigh of relief after she put it down. One corner of the garage was now full of all the 'creepy' items she didn't want to see in the house.

She opened the door connecting the garage to the kitchen and went in. Glancing at the clock she still had plenty of time to get to school. Avery went to the downstairs bathroom and looked at her reflection. Black skinny jeans, white t-shirt with an adorable but serious chibi Batman, and her flat neck-length blue hair now spiked out in every direction. The only make-up she was wearing was some lip gloss, blue nail polish, and some perfume.

Avery inhaled and exhaled slowly. _Time to go._ She ran upstairs to her room and put on a pair of white socks before grabbing her black-and-white backpack. She mentally ran over everything she needed_. Keys, money, cell phone, schedule, directions, and the emergency contacts are in my phone._ She took out her iPhone to make sure. _Yep, Teresa Lisbon and Kimball Cho. _She checked the time, 7:43._ I better go._

She locked up the house and turned right on the sidewalk. "Let's see, straight down past two Stop signs, then turn left, then right on the second street, and straight until I see the school."

Within 10 minutes she was walking through her school's parking lot. Her blue hair was already attracting some attention. She hastily went to the main office and checked in. But before she could ask the lady for some directions the phone rang. Avery tapped her foot impatiently. She looked at the clock, 7:57.

_I do _not_ want to be late on my first day and have to stand in front of the entire damn class_! She quickly left and went to the first person her eyes landed on. "Hey, do you know where Mrs. Riley's room is?"

"I take it you're new." The red-haired brown-eyed boy said starting to walk away. "Can I see your schedule?"

She followed. "Sure, here."

"I have 1st and 6th period with you." He gave the paper back to her. The two barely made it in time. Not that the boy, whose name Avery didn't know, cared. She took the empty seat next to him.

The teacher was nice enough to not ask her to stand up to introduce herself. She cleared her throat and kept it brief. "My name's Avery, I'm 15 years old—soon to be 16—and my favorite color, obviously, is blue."

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, half the school day was gone in a flash and it was time for lunch. _You'd think after having done this so many times I'd be used to it._ She quickly spotted the scarlet hair of the boy she met earlier. He was sitting alone so she joined him.

"If you came here feeling bad for me get lost." He said lazily.

"I came here because I have nowhere else to sit and rather not sit alone like a loser." She answered truthfully.

He looked up and stared at her. "You're very honest, aren't you? Insensitively so."

Avery grinned. "I get that a lot, Sasori."

"Sasori?" He raised an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "You remind me of a _Naruto_ character, both in physical appearance and personality."

"Better than Deidara I suppose," he replied. "But my name is Adrian Coleman."

"Excuse me?"

Avery and Adrian turned to looked at the blonde girl with beautiful hazel blue-green eyes. She was dressed immaculately in a white blouse, black knee-length skirt, and black flats. There was a tall, dark spiky haired, and well-built boy next to her. He was dressed in all black: jeans, shirt, and boots.

They joined Avery and Adrian. "My name's Joan, Jo, Valentine. This is my cousin."

The dark-haired boy smiled slightly. "Mason Drakon."

"I couldn't help but overheard your conversation." The blonde girl gushed. "In my year and a half here I haven't met one person who was an anime/manga fan." She looked at Adrian. "Though I should have guessed you were one."

Avery grinned at his annoyance. Jo opened her mouth but her cousin interrupted her. "Aren't you going to let the rest of us get a word in? Excuse my cousin; unfortunately she's always this irritating."

"There goes my sweet solitude." Adrian grumbled.

"I'm Avery and the grumpy one is Adrian." She grinned. "It's nice to meet you. And yeah, I know what you mean about anime/manga loving friends. I've always wanted some so we could go Cosplay together."

"I know! Same here! I just know we're going to be the best of friends." Jo said gushing. "I really wished I had some friends who I could have movie and anime marathons with! You have to come over. Give me your number."

"You better do it too." Mason said to Adrian. "Jo may look girly on the outside but she's a real Pit bull. Once she sinks her teeth into you she won't let go."

So after much whining, complaining, and protesting on Adrian's part, and harassing from Avery, Jo, and even Mason, they exchanged numbers. Everyone had a good laugh at Avery since it took her a while to remember her cell phone number. Avery and Jo had P.E. together so they said goodbye to the boys and went to the Locker room.

Jo had taken it upon herself to tell Avery about the important people. Currently they were dressed down and talking as girls began coming in. "That's Sonia Reed."

She nodded to a beautiful dark-skinned girl with brown eyes. "She is the most popular girl at school. She is also the nicest, smartest, athletic, and most beautiful girl you'll meet here."

Then she pointed to a haughty brown-haired girl with red streaks. "That's Claire. She's a bitch. Try to avoid her and her brother too. He's bed some girls and is a totally slut."

_For the first time in my life I don't have to find friends. They found me first._ Avery grinned. _And she also likes calling playboys sluts? Ooh, she's right; we _are_ going to be the best of friends._

* * *

**Tuesday Night**

"How was school?" Jane asked as he sat down.

"Great," Avery put her book down.

She didn't really know how to act around her uncle. People her age with similar interests she could get along well with. But she had only known her uncle for a few minutes really. But he looked so eager…

Avery's mother was gone most of the time so whenever she was around, she would ask every single detail of her daughter's life. Jane's schedule actually allowed him to be around more than her mother's work did. So Avery fell back into old routine and began talking about the last three days.

Jane put his tea cup down. Some time along the conversation Avery had walked into the kitchen and started making tea. She told Jane looked like he looked like he was going through withdrawal symptoms. She had seen the tea packets and guessed he was a tea addict. So they had taken the conversation to the kitchen.

She yawned and stretched on the counter-top. "Wow, I can't believe that took nearly two hours."

"That's because you kept going off topic every five minutes." Jane said in amusement. And Avery had to explain terms such as 'Cosplay' and 'chibi.' And also that 'Con' is not a scam but an abbreviation for convention.

"It's not my fault. Inside my brain it's like one of those tiny bouncy balls on drugs." She yawned again.

He took the tea cup out of her hands. "It's time for you to go to bed."

"Yeah," she slid off the counter-top. "Night."

"Good night," he patted her head. It was safe now because the hair gel had run its course and Avery was too lazy to retaliate.

* * *

**Over the Course of Two Months: So…Drabbles!**

"The important thing is to make sure your mark doesn't feel it." Jane advised. "Make sure his attention is diverted. Keeping up so far?"

"Right," Avery nodded, concentrating on her uncle. Jane was teaching Avery how to pickpocket.

The two were currently standing in the green Rec. room downstairs complete with a large, wide, flat-screen T.V., black leather couches, a rack full of movies, a book shelf—which now had all her books—and even a pool table. Jane had bought two game systems—since he couldn't pick one—and the most popular video games as well.

"Now, I want you to try to take my wallet while I take your phone."

Avery opened her mouth then closed it. Then she opened it again. "You already took my phone, didn't you? While I was busy listening to you."

Jane grinned holding up her blue iPhone. "You didn't realize it until too late but at least you called me out on it. Not bad."

Avery took her phone back. "Let's try again. The same trick won't work on me twice."

* * *

"Got it, I'll be there as soon as I can." Jane hung up. "Avery, I have to go. I'm not sure when I'll be back."

Avery got off the couch and gave him a hug. She stepped back and grinned at his surprised face. "Take care, Uncle Jane."

She went back to watching T.V. It took Jane a few seconds to come back to reality. "Right. Remember to—"

"Lock the doors and windows, don't let anyone in, and the emergency contacts are on the refrigerator. They are also in my phone." She interrupted with a smile.

"It's good that you know. But still be careful," he said sternly.

"Sure thing," she waved dismissively.

**At the Crime Scene **

"That would be $12.45 sir." The cashier punched the buttons on the machine.

"Jane, what are you doing?" Lisbon came over.

"It's lunch time and this is a sandwich shop. So what do _you_ think?" He grinned.

"This is a crime scene!" She scolded.

"Um, sir?"

"Yes," Jane began searching for his wallet. _I know I put here…_ Realization dawned on him _Avery! She took it!_ Jane turned to his partner. "…Lisbon."

She knew what he was thinking. "No."

"Please? Someone pick-pocketed me," he gave her a wide innocent look.

"Fine," she gave him a $20 bill. "You owe me."

"That's why I love you Lisbon," Jane grinned childishly.

"Oh, what_ever_," she quickly turned away.

* * *

"Uncle Jane, wake up already!" Avery shook him.

He grumbled incoherently and turned away from her, delving deeper into his bed. Avery grabbed the blanket and ripped it away from him. "Hey, it's cold!"

"Too bad, it is 10:30, time to get up."

Jane looked mutinous then yawned. "It's Saturday."

"I know," Avery threw the blanket back on the bed, "but the house needs to be cleaned. I am _not_ going to do it all by myself."

He reached for his blanket, grinning childishly. "We don't have any cleaning supplies yet. Oh, well, too bad, huh?"

She gave him an unimpressed look. "I noticed that the first day while I was looking around. I bought them along with my school supplies. Didn't you check your credit card bill?"

"…No."

Avery let out an exasperated breath. "Just be downstairs in 10 minutes."

**An Hour Later**

Jane collapsed on the couch. "That was a lot of work."

Avery glared down at him. "All you did was complaining."

"I vacuumed!" He said looking proud. "And I dusted too."

Avery wasn't sure if she should tell him he had the vacuum cleaner on the wrong setting so all he did was waste time and electricity.

* * *

"Hold on," Jane said from his spot on the couch. He straightened his jacket out and looked at his niece. "How do I look?"

"Fabulous," she deadpanned and went to get the door.

"Wait," he said again and made sure his hair was good. "Okay, go ahead."

Avery rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Hey guys, c'mon in."

The boys gave her a casual greeting. Jo smothered her in a hug. "We just saw each other yesterday you know."

"I know but I'm really excited. I love your house." She looked around and spotted Jane. "Hi, I'm Jo. I'm guessing you're Avery's uncle."

Avery interrupted before her uncle tried to do something ridiculous like shake their hands. "Yes, he is. And Uncle Jane, this is Jo, Mason, and Adrian. Now that we've all met each other, let's go to the Rec. room."

"I've got the movie," Mason held up the DVD.

"Movie time," Jo chimed. Avery protested for Jo to slow down as her friend dragged her to the Rec. room. She had a good idea of where it was. Mason and Adrian followed, looking entertained already.

Jane sighed and turned back to the T.V. _Of course Avery's friends are hard to read_. Mason had the same neutral expression and body language Avery did. Jo at first sight looked positive and lively. But her eyes showed intelligence. So he wasn't sure about her. Then there was Adrian and his lack of expression. The boy gave as much an emotional vibe as a statue.

* * *

"You're cheating, aren't you?" Avery narrowed her eyes.

"How am I doing that?" Jane asked smugly.

"Because there is just no way you can win four games of Pool in a row!" She replied. "I'm not good but I'm not exactly bad at it either."

He shrugged. "I'm still the better player."

"I want another re-match!"

* * *

"NO DON'T LISTEN TO THAT BITCH YOU DUMBASS! SHE'S THE MURDERER! SHE DID IT FOR THAT SLEAZY BASTARD SON OF HERS!" Avery yelled and threw popcorn at the T.V.

Jane came out of his private study. It was downstairs in the upper left corner of the floor so he could hear his niece's voice loud and clear, though that would have been true even if he was upstairs in his bedroom.

"Avery, watch your language!"

"But—" She began to protest and pointed to the T.V. as if it were the T.V.'s fault.

"No," Jane said going full on parent mode. "I hear you swear one more time I'll take your iPod and your laptop. Understand?"

"Fine," she stubbornly turned away from him.

"And clean up the mess you made." Jane said sternly, looking around the living room floor littered with popcorn.

Avery sighed dramatically. "I'll do it during commercials."

"Good, and keep it down," Jane said and turned around.

Avery stuck her tongue out at his back.

"I saw that."

* * *

"What?" Jane asked as Avery gawked at him.

"You've never seen _Finding Nemo_? Blasphemy! I have it on my laptop, let's watch it right now." She declared.

* * *

"Almost there, c'mon, aw man the stupid BANANA PEEL!" Avery yelled.

Jane grinned. "I'm going to win this one."

"No you're not."

The two began bumping shoulders trying to knock the other off their game. Jane's kart fell off. Avery grinned, "Yes! I love Maple Treeway."

"I'm still wining." He said confidently.

"Not for long." She said and then, "Blue shell yes!"

"I win!" Avery's kart crossed the finished line. She jumped up and threw her arms in the air. "I'm still the undefeated Mario Kart Champion!"

"Best 5 out of 7." Jane challenged.

Avery sat back down and grinned. "You're on!"

* * *

Avery tossed and turned in bed at night_. Stupid messed up internal clock. Gah! I have a test tomorrow. Sleep! Shut up brain._ She grumbled as her thoughts jumped from one thing to another. She stopped when she heard footsteps. Avery pretended she was asleep. The door opened a couple of inches for a few seconds before closing.

Avery knew it was her uncle. Every single night he was home he always checked on her. With anyone else it would have annoyed her. That they felt the need to make sure she wasn't sneaking out or anything. And she also didn't like to be watched as she slept.

But she knew why her uncle always did that. You didn't have to be a genius to figure it out. So Avery pretended to be sleeping peacefully even when she was awake and bored out of her skull. She never let him know that she knew.

* * *

"What are you wearing?"

Jane looked at his clothes: brown leather shoes, black pants, and crisp white shirt. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's casual isn't it?"

Avery, dressed in blacks sweats and a white cotton t-shirt, smacked her forehead. "One, I said active wear because we're _exercising_. Two, how is that casual?"

"I don't like exercising." Jane whined.

"Too bad," Avery grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside. "This is the first day so we'll go nice and slow."

She began jogging, Jane followed unhappily. "You need to build up your stamina Uncle Jane. We'll keep increasing the speed and amount of time we run by day."

"Why?" He complained.

She began jogging faster. "You need to get into shape. Anyway, so even if you're not here you better keep up or else you'll fall behind… Uncle Jane?"

Avery looked over her shoulder and stopped. Jane was lying on someone's grassy front yard. She went over to him and put her hands on her hips, "Really now?"

"Oh my God! Is he okay?" A 40 something woman in ridiculous pink PJs came running out of the house.

"Don't worry he's—"

"Oh my," The woman said when she saw Jane. "Maybe he needs CPR. I'll do—"

"No!" Jane scrambled up. He made a show of inhaling and exhaling then did a jumping jack. "See, completely fine."

Avery giggled.

"Are you sure? I could—"

"Not necessary. Right, Avery?" He pleaded.

She grinned and pointed far away from them. "Look! Bruno Mars!"

Avery and Jane fled and jumped a few relatively short fences while the woman was distracted. She patted her uncle's shoulder when they got home, "Great run. Be ready same time tomorrow."

Jane groaned and flopped ungracefully on the sofa.

* * *

_**Please Review~**_

_**The drabbles are pretty much what some of the things Jane and Avery did over the course of the two months they've been living together.**_


	3. Creepy Places and Emoticons

**Chapter 3: Creepy Places and Emoticons**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own The Mentalist

**Previously**: Avery makes friends in three anime/manga lovers on her first day at school. The rest of the chapter is drabbles and it spans the course of 2 months of Jane and Avery living with each other.

* * *

"Just what I need after a long hard day at work," Jane sat down on the couch, helping himself to some tea. "This is really good."

"It's Earl Grey. After watching _Kuroshitsuji_, I've become a bit of a tea expert." Avery replied eating a cookie.

"Hm, chocolate chip cookies," Jane said stuffing one in his mouth. "Did you make them?"

"No, Ms. Hendrickson did," she said without taking her eyes off the T.V.

Jane froze at the mention of their pink loving neighbor who was infatuated with him.

"No worries, I've eaten half of the cookies already and I'm not drugged. Hey, Uncle Jane, did you know octopi can lose an arm but can re-grow it without permanent damage?"

"No, I did not." He said after swallowing. "And don't eat sweets before dinner. It'll ruin your appetite."

Avery shrugged. "I'm a teenager and I train every day. I _always_ have an appetite."

"Speaking of," Jane grinned, "I have the weekend off. Didn't you say you were going to teach me martial art?"

"Self-defense," she corrected, "becoming a martial artist takes years and years of training Uncle Jane."

Avery sat up and looked at him. Jane sensed a lecture coming. He was eager to find out all he could about his niece. She didn't speak of her childhood often. "How long did it take you?"

"Mom was always working and dad was admitted at the hospital. So in order to keep me busy mom enrolled me in a self-defense class. I started when I was five years old."

From what Avery had said about her mother, Jane knew she took after her mother in personality and father in looks. He had figured Avery got her looks from her dad; both his parents had blonde hair and blue eyes. "You must be an expert then. You've been doing martial arts for 10 years now."

She scoffed, "Yeah, _only_ 10 years. After dad's death, with all money that was spent on his treatment, mom had to work three years before she paid it off. She figured I should learn how to fight back, not just defend myself. So I was put in a _legit_ school for martial arts."

"What's the difference between taking classes and going to the school?" Jane asked curiously.

"Well for one, kids aren't allowed. But the one I went to was lenient enough. The schools haven't lowered their standard after the kung fu movies became a hit. Many people began taking classes and the work and technique level was watered down a little. Ten years and I had a hard time getting my black belt. I'm only just _beginning_ to understand martial arts. I am nowhere _near_ an expert. You'd have to have at least a second degree black belt for that. And original martial arts level wise, I'm still about a decade away from getting there."

"That's why you always train every single day, because it took you a decade to get to where you are now. Despite the fact you're very lazy."

"Yeah," Avery nodded not denying the last part. "There is no way I'm slacking off after all the pain I went through to get where I am."

"Good, I'm proud of you." Jane smiled. It was comforting to know his niece could take care of herself. Especially with…_him_ still out there. "Mason's also a martial artist, isn't he?"

"Yeah," she turned off the T.V. "How did you know?"

"You both have this collected expression on your faces. From your postures it almost looks like you're always on guard, prepared for something. And you both have this aloofness about you; it's hard to get a read on you like that."

"Good, that's how it's supposed to be." Avery grinned. "People have some sort of…action or twitch before they attack. We were taught to read body language to predict our opponent's movement. We had to control our body language and erase anything that gave us away."

Jane grinned in excitement. "I can't wait to get started."

"Oh, um…" Avery smiled sheepishly. "Actually, I was wondering if I could stay over at Jo's. We've been making plans since we got our English assignment. We haven't even started yet and it is due Monday."

Jane looked disappointed. "Is it just the two of you?"

"No, Mason and Adrian are also going to be there. Wait," she held up a hand, "Jo and Mason live together and he wanted another guy around. Besides, their parents and grandparents are also home."

"Alright, you can," Jane agreed. He didn't have a good reason to say no. Having lived by herself for majority of her life, she was responsible enough.

"Great," she stood up. "I'll grab my stuff and we can go now."

"You've already packed?"

"Yup," Avery said as she ran up the stairs. Jane narrowed his eyes. _She was going to give me Bambi eyes had I refused._

* * *

Jane watched as Avery followed Mrs. Valentine inside the enormous house. The woman had no make-up on, her hair was held back in a messy bun, and her hands were covered in flour. Obviously she had no plans tonight. The garage doors were open and he could see four cars and two motorcycles inside. It wasn't that Jane didn't trust Avery. He just wanted to err on the side of caution.

_What to do now_. Jane thought as he pulled out the driveway. He didn't want to go home. Without Avery, there was no music being played 24/7, no sound of her talking with her friends on the phone as they watched T.V. The silence would be suffocating.

Since the house was going to be empty, he had no reasons to stay there. _Might as well go back to the office and help the others with paperwork. But I should grab pizza first…_

**30 Minutes Later**

"I brought dinner," Jane grinned and held up three pizza boxes.

"That smells so good," Rigsby pulled his chair up to Jane's couch. "What'd you buy?"

"Cheese, Pepperoni, and Meat lovers," Jane answered as he sat down and put the boxes next to him.

"I'll go get some plates and drinks." Van Pelt went to the kitchen.

"I'll help," Cho followed her.

Rigsby eagerly took a piece of Meat Lovers and was about to bite it when Jane interrupted him. "That would be $3 please."

"What? You're not serious, are you?"

"Of course not," he smiled charmingly, "for you, $2.50."

Lisbon came out of her office. "You brought dinner?"

"I live to serve," Jane took off his coat and got comfortable. Cho and Van Pelt came back and everyone began eating.

"Hey, Jane, what's up with you lately?" Van Pelt asked.

"Yeah, the last few months you've been acting weird." Rigsby said with his mouth stuffed.

"I don't know what you mean." Jane denied.

"What's her name?" Surprisingly it was Cho who asked.

"Are you seeing someone?" Lisbon asked from next to him.

"Why? Jealous?" Jane smiled cheekily.

"You wish." She rolled her eyes, taking a quick bite of her pizza.

"Normally you have to be kicked out of the building. You even sleep here over night." Van Pelt said thoughtfully. "Now if your presence isn't required urgently you always take off around 3 pm."

"You've been very pre-occupied." Cho said looking interested for once.

"Yeah, especially when we have to stay the night because of the investigation," Lisbon stated. She was the one who was around him constantly. She didn't want to pry into his business but the few times she'd hinted, he always changed the subject.

"C'mon Jane," Rigsby grinned. "You can tell us. We're all friends here."

Jane hesitated for a moment. There was no one else around so he gave in. "Remember when I told you I found out I had a sister?"

"Yeah," Lisbon nodded, "Rachel, she died in a car accident, right?"

"She did. Her husband died years ago, so their daughter had nowhere to go." Jane could see it in their wide smiles they figured out the rest of the story. "One of my sister's friends lives here and she's a lawyer. She hunted me down since Avery's paternal grandparents were out of the country at the time."

"I think it's great that you adopted her." Van Pelt grinned.

"How old is she?" Cho asked leaning back in his chair.

"She's 15. She'll be 16 less than a month."

"Good luck." Lisbon smirked. "Trust me, I know. I've raise teenagers." She patted Jane's shoulder. "When you need help, and believe me you will, you can always come to me."

"So Jane, do we get to meet her?" Cho asked.

"I just hope she's nice." Rigsby grinned. "I don't think I can handle two Janes."

"I'll have to agree with him there." Lisbon nodded and smiled.

"Why didn't you tell us about her before?" Van Pelt asked.

Jane didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them that Red John was still alive. Thankfully Lisbon knew and gave a reasonable explanation. "Don't forget, Red John's disciples are still out there and we have no idea who they are."

The trio murmured in agreement. "Until the whole Red John deal dies down completely let's keep this to ourselves."

"Yes boss," they acceded.

"You should probably go home," Van Pelt suggested. "Your niece must be all alone."

"It's fine," Jane leaned back on the couch. "She has a project to do so she's staying at her friend's house for the weekend. But you know what we should do, we should go bowling tomorrow."

Everyone stared at him.

"What?"

"You always turn us down whenever we decide to go on these kinds of activities." Rigsby raised an eyebrow. "Now you're suggesting one?"

Jane shrugged. "Avery and I were planning on doing that sometime. She's annoyed that I keep beating her at Pool so she wants to best me at bowling."

"Wait, Pool?" Rigsby asked. "You have a Pool table in your house?"

"Yeah," Jane gave a nonchalant shrug as if to say 'doesn't everyone?'

"Dude we have to have a boy's night at your place, right Cho?"

"Excuse me? What, you think we don't play Pool?" Van Pelt asked Rigsby and Lisbon raised an eyebrow at him.

Rigsby looked around pathetically. "Uh, a little help guys? I'm getting tag teamed here."

"It's your own fault." Cho said bluntly.

"This is entertaining." Jane grinned.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Can you two please stop staring now? It's freaking me out." Rigsby cowered. The two women gave each other smirks and stopped.

"So, bowling?" Jane asked.

"I'm in," Rigsby agreed quickly. Cho nodded.

"I'm free tomorrow." Van Pelt said.

Everyone turned to Lisbon, "Sounds fun."

"Great, we'll go there tomorrow evening," Jane said pulling out his phone.

* * *

"What's the assignment you two have?" Mason asked from his spot on the floor. He and Adrian were playing War while Jo and Avery were on the bed, surfing the net on their laptops.

They were in Jo's peach colored room complete with a lavender King sized bed, a walk in closet, pale yellow-colored attached bathroom, a tan dresser, and cream colored plush seats. The most eye-catching thing in the room was the lower left corner where Jo's seriously advanced computers, and other tech stuff that Avery didn't recognize, sat.

"We're doing class discussions about legends and stories and how they came to be. How stories are influenced by places and how they influence people throughout time." Jo answered without looking up.

"And you two are doing a project on creepy places." Adrian put down his card.

"That's right," Avery stretched. "We found two awesome places. Well not awesome but you know."

"What are they?" Mason asked as he lost three cards.

"One is the Aokigahara Forest at the base of Mt. Fuji. It's not just creepy because of the environment but because it's full of dead bodies. It's a suicide forest. It's gotten so bad there are signs around saying stuff like 'life is precious' and 'think of your family.' I thought it was good for the project because there's a famous play by Chikamatsu Monzaemon called the 'Love Suicide at Sonezaki.'"

"Sounds real charming," Adrian said dryly.

"Isn't that the one where the two lovers killed themselves in the end?" Mason looked up. "And they do it in a forest?"

"That's the one." Avery said. "And the other is—hold on it's my uncle. He's texting me."

'How r u?' Avery rolled her eyes. 'One, please never use 'text talk' with me. It's stupid and it annoys me. Two, it's only been one hour since you saw me -_-'

"The other one's the Catacombs of Paris." Avery began after putting her phone away. "Around the 17th and 18th centuries the cemeteries in Paris were getting so full that the decayed organic material was getting into the water."

Her phone vibrated. "It's my uncle again."

'How did you make that face? I want to do it too! Can you make more?'

Avery's response was **:-(**

Jo started where Avery left off. "That's why the catacombs were created. It's like an underground tunnel where the walls are covered with human skulls. I actually really want to go there and check it out, right Avery?"

Jo looked at her best friend. "Why are you staring at your phone?"

Avery sighed. "My uncle keeps texting me. He has just discovered the amazing world of emoticons."

Her phone vibrated. "Here, check it out."

:) Look! I made one!'

Jo started laughing. "Your uncle's so cute."

"I have to make a call." Avery got off the bed and went to the bathroom.

"_Avery, did you get my message?"_ Jane said excitedly.

"Yes, now please stop." She groaned. "I'm trying to work here."

"…_Okay, but can I send just one more? Please?"_

"No."

"_But—"_

"I said no Uncle Jane. Don't make me turn off my phone."

"_Fine, be that way. See if I care."_ He said childishly.

"Great!" Avery grinned.

"_How about—"_

"Night Uncle Jane." She said forcefully.

"_Fine, good night," _he grumbled.

Avery went back to the bedroom. Jo, Mason, and Adrian were sitting on the bed, looking at Avery's laptop. "What are you guys doing?"

Avery joined them and Mason moved away so she could see. She stared at the screen. Jo looked at her hesitantly. "I found this website where you can see the local creepy places. I typed it in your laptop but accidentally hit a town's name. Talk about weird."

"Yeah…" Avery stared at Red John's signature crying smiley face on the side of a red barn. "What's name of this town?"

"Why does it matter?" Adrian said from behind her.

"He's right," Mason frowned. "Red John's dead."

Avery sighed. "You're right. Let's get back to homework."

"Yeah, Red John's got nothing on Mrs. Parker when she's pissed!" Jo joked.

They started laughing as they pictured her angry scowl. Mason and Adrian had her freshman year so they knew what Jo was talking about.

* * *

"This is…unbelievable." Avery stared.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Adrian admitted. He turned to the smirking cousins. "Of course you two have an indoor gun range in your house."

The four were currently in a large grey room. The left side of the wall was covered with dozens of weapons ranging from small hands guns to half a foot long daggers to shot guns and rifles. To the right was the staircase they had taken to come to the basement. Behind them was a wall of thick glass which capable of blocking 200 dB sound pressure levels. It was made for people to watch the shooters with safety.

"The family business does involve the creating and manufacturing of weapons." Jo said to Avery.

"You two can join us if you want," Mason said as if slipped on the goggles and ear muffs. "But you have to wear the eye and ear protection."

The other three followed his example. Jo picked up a .45 caliber bullet and held it up. "Normally this is the highest bullet allowed in an indoor range. But here we can go higher."

"Our grandparents are RSOs, Range Safety Officers," Mason said as he loaded a Winchester rifle. "They have a special license. We can't use the guns until they get here."

"So," Jo grinned, "want to join us?"

"Like you even need to ask," Adrian smirked.

_Uncle Jane doesn't like guns and would freak if he found out… But then again, we're going to be under adult supervision. It's completely safe and legal. Their grandparents do specialize in this kind of thing._ Avery made up her mind. "I'd love to."

"Alright, but I should warn you," Mason smirked, "it is _way_ harder than they show in the movies. You see there's a little something called recoil…"

* * *

_**Please Review~**_

**Next Chapter**: Avery meets the CBI team.


	4. Revelation

**Chapter 4: Revelation **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own The Mentalist or any other name brand stuff mentioned

**Previously**: Avery goes to Jo's house for the weekend. Jane tells the team about Avery. Jane discovers emoticons and bugs his niece. Jo accidently finds a red barn with Red John's signature crying smiley face. The four teens practice, under adult supervision, at the indoor shooting range.

* * *

Avery hummed tunelessly to herself as she walked down the hallway. Two weeks had passed since her sleepover at Jo's place. The stupid barn image wouldn't leave her mind. A part of her wanted to tell her uncle about it.

But then she thought it was stupid. Red John was dead. Why would it matter that she saw his signature? _Besides, Uncle Jane's a walking Red John encyclopedia. He's probably already seen it._ She snapped out of her thoughts as someone called her name.

"Oh, Adrian, sorry," Avery looked to her right.

"Of to La La land?"

"No," she blushed.

He smirked. "You're thinking about that picture from two weeks ago, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?" She gaped at him.

"Figures," Adrian muttered. Mason came up to them before Avery could bug him into telling her.

"Hey guys," Mason smiled.

"Hey, where's Jo?" Avery asked. "I haven't seen her all day."

"She's sick." He answered opening his locker. His locker was the closest so the trio went to it first. "So do you guys have any plans?"

"Yeah, I'm going to my grandparents' for the weekend." Adrian smiled. His grandparents had a small cottage and lived in a quiet town an hour drive away. "Anyway, the cab coming to pick me up should be here soon."

"You're having him pick you up here?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

Adrian smirked, "Of course."

"What about your luggage?" Avery asked.

"I dropped it off at my neighbor's and asked her to give it to the driver." He checked his phone. "I better go now. See ya guys."

"Later," Avery gave him a small wave.

"Have fun," Mason smiled. They watched him disappear around the corner before walking towards the parking lot. "Do you want me to give you a ride?"

Avery put her phone away. "Don't you still have to wait another month before having a passenger in the car?"

He shrugged. "Your house is a minute away from here. It's fine."

"True, but I'm planning on dropping in to see my uncle at work. He keeps texting me about how hungry he is. I think half the reason he's doing it is to use emoticons. Anyway, as long as you're offering, can you drop me off at his work place? I know the way and it'll only take seven-ish minutes."

"Sure," Mason unlocked his black BMW x3.

They got in the car. "Let's go to my house first. So I can ditch the back pack and grab some stuff."

* * *

Mason pulled out of Avery's drive. "What's with the bag?"

Avery looked at the black-and-white plaid style messenger bag in her lap. "I don't know if he's going to be in when I get there. So I grabbed my laptop and a book to pass time."

The two chattered about school and weekend plans when Avery spotted a sandwich place. "Okay, drop me off there. I'll buy some lunch and walk. I can see the building from here."

"No problem," Mason dropped her off.

"Thanks Mason," she said as she stepped out. "And tell Jo to get well soon."

Avery bought two sandwiches before walking towards the CBI building. The guard gave her a confused look as she walked up to him. "Hello, I'm here to see Patrick Jane. Is he in?"

"Yes, but who are you?" He asked cautiously.

"My name's Avery, I'm his niece. Here, can you hold this please?" She gave him her sandwich and pulled out her wallet to show him her I.D.

"I'm going to have someone escort you." He said handing her sandwich back. "Then you have to go through the security checks inside the building."

"Sure, fine by me," she shrugged. A couple of minutes later, she followed the guard as he led her to her uncle's desk.

"Please stay here and do not move." He left her alone since Van Pelt, Rigsby, and Cho were there to make sure she didn't try anything.

Avery sat down on the couch. She took off her messenger bag and set it next to her. She pulled out her phone and began playing _Temple Run 2_ with one hand and eating her lunch with the other.

Van Pelt exchanged confused glances with her co-workers before looking over at their guest. "Who are you?"

Avery paused the game and looked up. She opened her mouth to introduce herself but got an idea. "I'm a psychic and I was asked to come here to help solve a case."

"Really, I find that hard to believe." Cho said without looking up from his computer.

"If you really are psychic, prove it." Rigsby said looking curious.

"I will. But first, Mr. Kimball Cho, what do you have against pineapples? They are delightful fruits if you ask me." She said looking offended. She turned to Rigsby. "Wouldn't you agree Wayne?"

"That's amazing," Van Pelt said looked awed.

"Ah Grace, you're as beautiful as I was told. How's Yolanda doing?"

"You know my cousin?!"

"All psychics keep in touch." Avery said settling in the couch.

"What's going on here?" Lisbon asked as she came in.

"It seems we've got a real psychic here," Cho said. But he still looked uncertain.

"Yeah, sure," Lisbon gave her a once over. By then, they were all crowded around her.

"Oh Teresa, thinking I'm not a psychic but a mentalist like Jane?" She smirked as Lisbon's eyes widened. _Me, a mentalist? Yeah right_. She thought to herself. "How are your brothers? Doing well I hope. And dear, keep away from the tequila. Alcohol is bad for your liver."

"What are you all doing?" Jane asked coming up behind the group, a cup of tea in hand. He saw Avery and mentally slapped himself for not telling her to stay away from the office.

"This girl's a real psychic." Van Pelt said looking smug. Rigsby and Cho nodded.

Lisbon turned to Jane and gave him a superior grin. "Looks likes you were wrong. There are real psychics out there. The things she knows, she wouldn't be able to tell if she were a mentalist."

"It's got to be magic." Rigsby grinned with his arms crossed against his chest.

Jane scoffed and sat down next to Avery. "This only magical thing about her is how fast she grows through the ice-cream stock."

"Well would you rather it just sit there and expire?" Avery crossed her arms.

"Do you two know each other?" Lisbon asked.

"Yes. Little Ms. Psychic here is my niece." Jane held back laughter at their faces.

"Hello~ Sorry for tricking you," she smiled sheepishly. "But Uncle Jane was right about you, Rigsby."

"What?" He said looked slightly suspicious.

Avery held something up to him. "You _are_ an easy mark."

Rigsby checked all his pockets. His wallet was missing. He took it out of Avery's hands. Jane chuckled. "What are you doing here Avery? It's only 12:30. You didn't skip school, did you?"

"We had early dismissal." She pulled out another sandwich. "And I brought you lunch."

"This looks good. What is it?" He took a bite.

"A toasted turkey, brie, and apple sandwich," she said and also another bite.

"Time to get back to work," Lisbon ordered then looked at Avery. "It was nice meeting you. But you can't stay here."

"I know," she nodded. "I'll take a cab home."

Wainwright came in at that moment. "Lisbon, I have a new case for your team."

"We're ready sir." She answered.

"Good," he nodded. Then he saw Avery. "And who are you?"

"She's my niece," Jane said standing up. "And she's just leaving."

"I'm Avery," she stood up and held out her hand.

"Luther Wainwright," he shook her hand.

"Here," Jane picked up her bag and gave it to her. "I'll walk you to the elevators."

"What are you so happy about?" Jane asked suspiciously as they waited, his sandwich forgotten.

"Nothing~" Avery answered with a stupid smile.

"He's 20 years your senior." Jane said with a sour look on his face.

"I know, but he's cute." Avery said as she went in.

"No, he's not." Jane said looking ready to argue some more.

"You're right." Avery nodded as the elevator doors began to close. "He's hot!"

* * *

Avery twisted and turned in bed. Finally she gave up trying to sleep and sat up. She walked around her room in boredom before picking up her phone, ready to text Jo. _But she's sick and I don't want to ruin her sleep._ She snuck downstairs._ I'll get a snack from the kitchen then try to sleep._ She was about to open the freezer when she heard a door open.

_Aw man it must be Uncle Jane. If he sees me he'll think I'm sneaking out or something._ Avery quickly ran into the living room and hid behind the couch. She watched as he came downstairs and went out the front door. _Why's Uncle Jane—oh duh, he must have gotten a call about a murder or something._

Avery sighed. _I'm such a dummy sometimes_. She checked the time on her phone, 1:13. She was halfway up when she heard the door being unlocked. She ducked again and watched as her uncle came back in. _Uh-oh, I hope doesn't check on me again_. Fortunately he didn't go upstairs.

"Phone, phone, where did I put it?" Jane disappeared around the stairs.

_Wait, if his cell phone is in his study, how did could he have received a call? And the home phone's in the living room_. Avery's mind ran at lightning speed. She went to the kitchen wall and grabbed the extra house keys before slipping out the door.

Jane's car was still running. Avery opened the door and dropped her phone on the back seat floor. She shut it and darted to the neighbor's yard. Crouching and peaking around the white fence she watched as Jane locked the door and got into his car. Avery narrowed her eyes as he drove away. She went back inside and sped up the stairs to her room.

_This time I'm going to find out where you keep disappearing to Uncle Jane._ It wasn't the first time she'd caught him sneaking off. Avery always figured it was because of his job but after what she'd just witnessed, she was starting to get suspicious maybe it wasn't _always_ because of the job.

Flicking the light on, she picked up her laptop and turn it on. She began tracking her cell phone but gave up after staring at the screen after half an hour. _I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes…_

* * *

**Sunday Morning**

Avery yawned and sat up. _Why's my laptop here? Oh shit! I can't believe I fell asleep_. She pressed the power button on her laptop and waited.

"Let's see where my phone is," Avery muttered to herself. "Okay, now I'll just Google this address and…"

She stared at the screen. "…I should have known. But why would he go to his old house?"

_Red John's dead. Why does Uncle Jane go back? Now that I think about it, he's still…paranoid. Maybe Red John's still alive._ Avery blinked and smacked her forehead, "Me and my stupid overactive imagination. It's so clear Uncle Jane's not over his wife and daughter's death. That must be it."

_He probably won't be home till later today. Malibu is nearly six hours from Sacramento. _Avery turned off her laptop and spaced-out for an hour. She ran downstairs and picked up the home phone. She had her friends' phone numbers on her iPod since she was too lazy to memorize them. Avery quickly called them telling them not to call her cell, saying it was with her uncle.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Looking at the time, 6:56 am, Avery got ready. By the time she came downstairs, Jane was dressed and ready. _He must have come back sometime last night._ Sitting in her favorite spot, on the countertop, a thought occurred to her and she acted on impulse.

"Hey, Uncle why don't you have a girlfriend? It's been what, 9 years?" She mentally cringed as he froze. _I should have put that in a gentler way. Oh well, this situation is like a band aid, better to get it over with quickly._

"We are not talking about this," Jane said coldly.

"Yes, we are." Avery stared back unfazed. Years of martial arts had forced her not react to. _You're treading dangerous waters here_. A part of her mind whispered. "Before I could understand, but Red John's dead now. So what's the problem?"

Had she not known how to read body language, not been staring dead straight at him, and not _looking_ for a reaction, she would have missed it. _Damn, does that mean the bastard's still alive? No that's ridiculous._ She mentally shook her head and got back to the situation.

"Look, Uncle Jane, I'll be honest with you and say something everyone's been too chicken to say: your wife and daughter are dead. They aren't coming back. Stop living in the past because your life is going nowhere."

He gave a mirthless laugh before giving her a look of cold fury which she didn't think he was capable of. "My life ended 9 years ago. I only have one purpose in 'life'."

Jane continued but Avery didn't hear. She was lost in her thoughts. '_Have?' Why did he say 'have?' Shouldn't it be 'had?' 'I only _had_ one purpose in life.' Said purpose being Red John's death obviously. But he said 'have'… Then…who did Uncle Jane kill? Was it an innocent man? Does Uncle Jane know? Why is he trying to hide the fact that the real killer is still out there? Because he doesn't want to be incarcerated? _

She blinked and looked at him. Jane gave a freezing look before grabbing his keys and leaving. Avery mentally cursed herself. _What did he say? Stupid brain! Way to pick a time to space-out. _

"…Red John's still alive." She scowled. "Uncle Jane knows he is which means he killed an innocent man. No, he wouldn't simply do that. Maybe the guy was one of Red John's friends or something."

Avery jumped off the countertop and texted Adrian if she could come over. His reply was immediate. Next she texted Jo and Mason to meet at Adrian's—that is if Jo was up to it. They both sent their agreement within a minute. Avery locked the door and started walking to Adrian's house. It was almost an hour away by foot but she needed time to think about the situation.

* * *

Avery blinked. "What the hell is all this?"

As soon as she had appeared, Jo had grabbed her and dragged her to Adrian's basement, though it looked more like a chemistry lab than a basement. An annoyed Adrian came down followed by Mason. "This is my lab."

"What exactly do you make here?" Avery asked suspiciously. "It better not be drugs."

"It is," Adrian answered, "drugs and poison."

"…I'm going to start calling you Sasori from now on."

"I said that too," Jo said in a husky voice.

"You're still sick. You shouldn't have come," Avery dragged her over to one of the worn out blue couches in the corner. The boys sat across from them.

"Of course she did," Adrian rolled his eyes. "The situation was just so special."

Mason nodded. "You would never ask us to skip school unless it was important."

Jo gave Avery a measuring look. "You had a fight with your uncle."

"Why is it that my mentalist uncle can't tell what's going through my mind but you can?" Avery asked incredulously.

"Because," she flipped her hair back, "I'm your best friend."

"Tell us what happened."

Avery looked at Adrian and nodded. "Right, it started the night before last, Saturday night, when I couldn't sleep. So I went downstairs for a snack. I heard my uncle and hid because I didn't want him to get the wrong idea. I thought he was leaving for a job but he came back for his phone which was in his study. How could he have gotten a call when he didn't have a phone on him? I became suspicious and put my phone in his car and tracked it down. He went to his old house."

"You decided to track your uncle just for that?" Mason raised an eyebrow.

"And why would he do that?" Jo asked confused. "Isn't that where, you know, your aunt and cousin were murdered?"

"Let her finish," Adrian told them.

"That wasn't the first time I've seen him leave suspiciously. It didn't occur to me before but anytime he had to leave because of work he always told me or left a note. I was thinking he still wasn't over his family's death—I still do think that—and this morning I asked him why hasn't moved on you know?"

Adrian's eyes flashed. Avery gave him a brief glance. "Uncle Jane was not happy and slipped on his word choice. I got lost in my thoughts and didn't hear what else he said. I mean it was kind of hard to after what I figured out. So I asked you all to meet here to tell you guys."

"Red John's still alive," Adrian spoke up. Mason, Jo, and Avery stared at him in surprise.

"How did you know?" Avery asked.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out." He shrugged then smirked. "I.Q. of 170, remember?"

"There is a good chance Red John will try to target me to hurt my uncle," Avery said seriously. "I don't want you guys to be dragged into that mess. But I had to tell you guys, I owed you that much. And I knew you would never rest until you found the truth."

"And you think we care?" Adrian rolled his eyes. "I guess you are a dumb gorilla after all."

Any people he thought beneath him, Adrian referred to them as 'dumb gorillas.' Avery glared at him, "I'm just saying it for your—"

"Yes, yes, we get it," Jo interrupted. "It's for our own good. Then we argue, you give up, and we all make up. Let's just save time and skip to the good part where we go after the villain."

Avery opened her mouth but was interrupted again.

"Jo and I are the next in line to take over our family's multi-million dollar company," Mason said as neutral as ever. "We've been targets our whole life."

"My parents were in the army and died in the line of fire. My older sister is a marine." Adrian smirked. "I was born a genius and raised to be strong. There is no way I'm leaving, not when things are about to get interesting."

"You guys…are insane. Don't blame me if you get killed." Avery said lazily.

They grinned. Jo pulled her iPad out of her hand bag. "I'm going to get some cameras and motion detectors and set them around your house."

Mason pulled his phone out. "I'll have someone prepare a license for you. In case of an extreme emergency, you'll need a gun."

Avery looked ready to object but Mason spoke first. "I know you don't need it, being a black belt and all, but like I said 'in an extreme emergency.' So if it does come down to you shooting him it will be completely legal."

"I guess. But I don't really think I'll need it. Red John _might_ not come after me. It's been nearly three months now."

"He will," Adrian picked up his laptop. "Come here."

Mason went upstairs to make the call and Avery took his spot. "How sure are you?"

"Very sure," Adrian said as he began pulling up legit websites about Red John. "I going to tell you something but don't take offense. After meeting your uncle two-three times, he showed, based on Hare's checklist, around 14 out 20 symptoms of a psychopath."

"Wonderful," Avery said dryly.

"But, good news for him, bad news for you, the more time he spends around you, the…intensity or seriousness of these signs is beginning to drop. Red John enjoys playing games with your uncle, he will not be happy. You're becoming a distraction, one that is around him almost constantly and already changing him."

"Good," Avery grinned wildly and cracked her knuckles. "I hope he gets annoyed enough to come after me."

* * *

**__****Please Review~**

**Next Chapter: **Sunday October 26th 2013, Tea with a Serial Killer


	5. Tea with a Serial Killer

**Chapter 5: Tea with a Serial Killer **

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Mentalist or any other name brand stuff mentioned

**Previously**: Avery meets the CBI team. She finds out Jane sneaks out to his old house. She confronts him in the morning about why he hasn't moved on. He accidentally reveals Red John is alive. Avery tells Jo, Adrian, and Mason about it. They begin making plans.

* * *

Avery wondered why it was cold. She searched for her blanket but couldn't find it. She sat up and realized she was in Adrian's basement. _Oops_, she thought. She had fallen asleep on the stoic genius. It took her a moment to realize she couldn't find her phone because it was still in her uncle's car.

Avery poked Adrian's side waking him up, "Morning Sasori."

He looked up drowsily, "Morning to you too…Konan."

Avery touched her hair. It was flat now, the same color and style, minus the bun, as Konan from _Naruto_.

"I want to be Temari," Jo yawned and sat up from the other couch. "What about you, Mason?"

"Excuse me?" They all turned to look at him as he walked down the stairs holding a tray in his hands. A tray with four black mugs that smelled suspiciously like coffee. "What? Are we coming up with code names or something?"

"Something like that," Avery said. "You can be Gaara or Neji."

"Go with Neji," Jo suggested. "Gaara's a redhead."

"I'm not planning to go to school today," Adrian said as he took a mug of coffee.

"Why not?" Avery asked.

"For one, it's already 10. And I don't feel like it."

"Ditching school once in a while I can understand." Jo said taking a sip of her coffee. "But two days in a row? I don't think so."

"I don't need to go," Adrian said simply.

"Why not?" This time Mason asked, sitting next to his cousin.

"Because, I already graduated," he smirked.

"…"

"I don't want to go to college yet. But I have nothing else to do either. I can skip all I want but still make straight A's and the school receives tuition either way. So they don't care."

"That is so unfair!" Avery whined. "You're a genius, Jo's a mastermind hacker, and Mason's crazy good at designing weapons. I swear I'm the only one who _needs_ to go to school! You three could drop out and still get awesome sauce jobs."

"Don't worry, we won't leave you to suffer through the horror that is high school alone," Jo grinned.

"You'd better not," Avery brooded.

"Shouldn't you go home?" Mason asked. "No one knows where you are."

"It's only me and my uncle. And he's probably at work so it's fine." Avery looked at the clock. "But I should head home before he comes back."

"Are you going to walk?" Jo asked.

"Yeah," Avery finished her coffee and stood up, "I like to take walks as I space-out."

"I'll bring the cameras and motion detectors later today." She replied.

"The gun and the license should be ready in a few days."

"Thanks Mason," Avery nodded. She turned to Adrian. "Anything you want to add?"

"Get anything you can from your uncle's office about Red John and bring it to me. And take care of yourself. Red John has moles in the CBI. They must have alerted him about you by now."

"Sure," Avery nodded and turned to leave then stopped, "Moles? As in more than one?"

"Yes," he nodded. "The man is very clever. He'll have multiple agents under his control in every government agency."

"Got it," she gave him a small salute. "See you guys later."

* * *

_Should I tell Uncle Jane I know about Red John? It's not like he doesn't obsess enough over the man already. Uh-oh._ Avery froze when she saw her uncle's car parked in the driveway. _He must have gotten a call from school asking why I missed two days in a row. Great, more scolding, just what I need._

She silently slipped inside and went up to her room. The door was half way open. _I could swear I closed it… _She pushed it farther and went in. _Oh, that explains it_. Jane was sitting on her bed holding her caramel-colored bear with a blue bow.

"You know Uncle Jane; if you wanted to borrow Mr. Cuddles you could have just asked."

Jane looked up startled. Avery sat down next to him. "Why so shocked?"

He touched her head. "I can't believe…"

"Same here, 12 hours should mean 12 hours. But wait, I used the hair gel more than 12 hours ago…"

Jane pulled her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it."

"Mean what?" Avery asked voice muffed against his chest. She looked up in confusion.

Jane looked away in shame. "Everything, I don't want you to go"

_Did he kick me out?_ Avery's insides went cold_. No, no, that's stupid. I can't take to heart what he said in anger._ But her heart had other plans. _No time for depression and pity. Got to focus right now. I have to know the truth; have to hear it from him._ She locked up her emotions. "Is that what you said?"

This time he looked confused. "Yes, weren't you listening?"

"No, I wasn't. I was too busy thinking you _lying_ about Red John. He's still alive." She said coolly. A part of her was still hurt over what he said and wanted to hurt him back.

Jane froze and his grip on her tightened. "How do you know?"

"You told me," she said pulling out of the hug. "Yesterday morning and confirmed it just now."

"I did?" He asked taken back.

"Yes, you said 'I only have one purpose in life' not 'I only _had_ one purpose in life.' I started thinking about the man you killed and stopped listening." She raised an eyebrow at him.

Jane's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Why did you kill him?"

"I thought he was Red John. But turns out Red John knew about my trap and set Carter up beforehand. But he was evil man. Carter and his wife had kidnapped a girl and kept her locked up in their basement." He said with pleading desperate eyes. "I didn't kill an innocent man."

Avery sighed. "That doesn't make it okay. What if you kill another man thinking he's Red John? Next time it might be an innocent man. What are you going to do then? Make more justifications about why you murdering someone is okay?"

Jane stood and paced. "I'm not going to kill unless I am sure he is Red John."

"Do you hear yourself right now?" She asked incredulously. "Every time Red John comes up it's like a light switch goes off in your head. You forget about everyone else and start obsessing over the creep. Your entire freaking life is revolving around him. Why do you give him so much importance?!"

"Because he killed my—"

"You aren't the only one he's hurt. Stop being selfish Uncle Jane. It's starting to become less and less about my aunt and cousin and more about you winning." She narrowed her eyes. "I am _not_ like the rest of the people you know Uncle Jane. No matter how harsh and bitter I _will_ speak the truth, say what is on my mind. I've told you before I don't pull punches. It's about time someone talked some sense into you and I guess it'll just have to be me."

Jane looked emotionlessly at her. "I will not stop until I kill him."

_I hate people who're as stubborn as I am_. Avery sighed dramatically. "Fine, let's compromise then. You stop obsessing over Red John. And I won't knock you out, kidnap you, and take you to Greenland on Jo and Mason's private jet."

"…Why Greenland?" He said trying to change the topic.

"It was the first one that popped into my head. What do you say?" She crossed her arms and stared at him hard.

Avery waited patiently. _I just need him to kick Red John off his priority list. Slowly but surely, I _will_ get Uncle Jane away from him, enough to keep him sane but not stopping him from wanting to catch the freak._ She didn't like it but Jane was probably the only one who could catch Red John.

Jane wanted to call her out on her bluff. But he wasn't sure if she was bluffing. She wasn't giving…anything that might suggest she wasn't serious. _You told her to leave. And she did. This time she thinks it is to help you…She might make good on her threat._ A part of his mind whispered.

"I agree then," Jane smiled, thinking he had won.

Avery knew since she wasn't around him _all_ the time she couldn't know. _Well then, I guess I'll be giving Agent Lisbon a call. She could make him behave. But first I should probably take my phone out of Uncle Jane's car…_

* * *

**Friday 7:56 PM **

"So, what do you want?" Jane asked as he watched Avery eat cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for dinner. For a week now, he had let her do whatever she wanted. Avery figured he was still guilty over what he said.

She shrugged. "I don't really want anything."

"Help me out here," he whined. "Your birthday is exactly one week away. Give me a little hint?"

"I told you Uncle Jane, I don't care."

"An iPad?" He suggested.

"I already have a cell phone, iPod, and a laptop. I don't see the point of having an iPad."

"How about a kitten?" Jane smiled.

Avery gave him a disgusted look.

"Oh, right. You don't like cats. What about…I'll let you buy anything you want: make-up, shoes, and dresses."

"No Uncle Jane."

"I know you love reading. What about books?"

"I don't have any in mind that I want to read."

"A car," he said like he had finally hit the jackpot.

"I don't even need a car." She pointed out. She walked to school and her farthest friend's house was less than an hour's walk away. "I mean why drive when you can have someone else do it for you? It's just common sense."

"But isn't that what teenagers your age want," Jane said finally giving up.

"Yeah, most of them, but I don't," Avery said as she got up to put the bowl in the sink.

Jane followed her and tried one last time. "Just name it. I promise I'll give it to you."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," she turned to him. "What if I say: Let's forget Red John and move to Venice. What then?"

Jane's phone rang before he could answer. "Excuse me."

Avery washed the bowl and made her way to the Rec. room. Jane's voice followed her. "What about a pony?"

"You have a crime scene to go to Uncle Jane." She said before disappearing in the room.

* * *

**Friday 11:23 PM**

"Hey Adrian, what're you doing?" Avery asked.

"_Talking on the phone when I'd really rather be doing something productive." _

"I got something for you then," she said as she scanned some files. "I'm in Uncle Jane's study right now. I found his files on Red John. What now?"

"_If your uncle doesn't come back tomorrow, call me and I'll come over to copy them."_

"Alright," she closed the door and went back to the Rec. room. Then the house plunged in darkness. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"_What's wrong?"_

"The power just went out—hold on, it's my phone," she pulled her blue iPhone out of her sweatshirt's pocket.

"_Then how are you talking with me?"_

"Blue tooth," Avery answered as she checked her phone. "Uh-oh…"

"_What do you mean 'uh-oh?'"_

"Someone's trying to break into the house. Someone dressed all in black with gloves and a mask on."

"_There is a very high possibility it's Red John. Alright, give me a minute or two to think. Can you do that?"_

Avery slid her hood on to hide the blue tooth and grinned. "Well then, I better go welcome him."

She began feeling her way through the Rec. room when the power came back. _Guess it must have been the storm not Red John._ She went over to the living room and lay on the couch. It was a strange feeling. Knowing she had the upper hand and that he would be at her mercy. _Picked the wrong girl to mess with freak… _The door opened and Red John slipped inside like a shadow.

"Hello there~"

The man turned around and stared at Avery.

"My name's Avery. And who might you be?" She grinned.

"Interesting," he calmly walked and sat on the couch next to the one she was sitting on. "So you're the niece, Avery Sawyer Jane."

"The one and only," her grin widened…and slipped when he pulled something out of his pocket and pointed it at her. She frowned, "A gun? Dude, that's cheating."

"I do my research. A knife wouldn't do much against a black belt." He said casually. "You had the upper hand before. But now that I have a gun I'm the one in control. But you're still calm, cool, and collected. Seeing the company you keep I take it you have a gun, hidden upstairs in your room in your drawer, right in plain sight."

"_This guy is good."_

_Way to state the obvious_. Avery almost spoke out loud.

"_Keep him talking and get him comfortable."_

"Would you like some tea?" Avery asked getting up and going to the kitchen. It went against every instinct in her body to turn her back to her opponent.

"_That's not exactly what I had in mind but it'll surprise him. Good, keep him guessing." _

"Why yes, I'd love to," he got up and followed her, gun still pointed. She began making some Earl Grey tea. Red John watched her like a hawk. "Your name is very fitting. Avery, one who is courageous. You remind me of your dear Aunt Angela."

"_He's going to play mind games. Don't fall for it."_

"I think I'll take that as a compliment." She said with her back turned to him.

"Yes, yes it is. I can still remember the stark terror in her eyes as I pinned her down. But she was the first person who didn't beg for her life. She wanted me leave her little Charlotte alone. Being the kind and generous man I am, I slit her little angel's throat first then cut her up like a pig. Or piglet I suppose."

The tea pot began whistling. Avery's grip on it tightened.

"_If you try something as stupid as throw a tea pot at his head I'm going to have 'Dumb Gorilla' engraved on your epitaph."_

Red John awaited her reaction. She calmly poured the hot water into two cups. "If you plan on getting a rise out of me, you're going to have to up your game. I have two of the world's most annoying men in my life, one as an uncle and the other as a friend."

Red John continued as if he never heard her. "But your aunt was a delight. Creamy skin, soft supple body, if I weren't in a bit of a time crunch I would have loved to—"

"How many sugars?" She interrupted with a cold look.

"No sugars please," He said politely and kept going. "I know you. I know you are fierce about your independence, you hate rapists and people who abuse children more than mass murders. You have been influenced by an alcoholic, which in turn has made you very straight edge. You value loyalty and courage. You always hide your true emotions, too afraid to look weak. And you have a _very_ violent streak in you. Why hide it?"

"Then you wouldn't mind if I slammed your head into the countertop?" She asked with a mocking smile.

"_He's getting to you."_ Adrian said in a warning tone. _"It's clear the guy is a complete narcissist. If you really want to hit him, hit him where it _hurts_: his pride, his ego."_

"Enough about me," she smiled cheerfully. "Let's talk about you."

"By all means please do," he said magnanimously.

"_Repeat what I say…"_

Avery sat on top of the countertop. "_I _see that _you_ are meticulous, tidy, and very narcissistic, as you have just proven. You are childish. You can't take it when someone insults you, lack of self-control. You have killed men but your chosen targets are women. The way you kill them signifies some sort of psychosexual element."

"_You love attention."_

She added her own touch. "You're an attention whore."

"_No one gives you more attention than my uncle. He's brilliant and he devoted his life to you. Now, without him you are nothing. This is why you are threatened by me because I can take his attention from you."_

This time Avery repeated everything word for word.

"_You have an attraction towards my uncle—"_

Avery almost fell off the countertop. "—but his one and only interest in you is about revenge."

"_Now you are—"_

Avery ignored Adrian and kept talking. "You hate copycats, which is ironic since _you_ are a copycat. You're nothing but a lame version of 'Jack the Ripper.' You'll never be as much of a legend as he was, as he _is_. Don't feel bad, no one can ever beat the original."

"_Not bad,"_ Adrian's voice sounded impressed. _"But you have to be _very_ careful now."_

"I have killed people for a lot less." Red John said casually but there was a hint of insanity in his voice. "I can kill you right now if I wanted."

"_Don't worry though, he won't kill you." _Adrian said confidently. "_Repeat after me…" _

"Can? 'Can' implies choice, you _will_ kill me. You have no other choice. I am going to force you to," Avery smirked, "because what other option do you have? My uncle loves me more than he hates you. Let me live and you lose your source of entertainment."

"Is that so?" He seemed intrigued.

Avery was lost on what Adrian was making her do. _"Red John likes a challenge almost as much as attention. That combo is what he likes in your uncle."_

Avery almost shuddered.

"_You not only insulted him but challenged him at the same time. Also, if he kills you he will have proved you right. It would be admitting defeat on his part. He has never lost so I'm certain Red John's a sore loser." _

"Let's make a bet," Red John's excitement was palpable.

"What kind of bet?" She asked suspiciously. Adrian was silent.

"How about we have ourselves a little test? To see which Patrick feels stronger about: his hate for me or his love for you." He was using hand gestures to emphasize his point. The guy really was theatrical. "Can you keep him from joining my side?"

"What do I get when I win?" Avery asked determinedly.

"_When_ you win? Confident aren't you?" He said in amusement.

"With good reason," she smiled charmingly. "Now, what's my prize?"

"Just name it. I promise I'll give it to you."

Avery felt her flesh crawl. It was the same thing Jane had said earlier that night.

Then Red John corrected himself. "Well, with the exception of my identity. That's only for Patrick to try to find. You're just a side game."

"So what if I ask for a clue about your identity?"

"_Or a list of moles in the CBI and FBI along with solid proof."_

Avery relayed Adrian's demand.

"Done," he said immediately. "My turn, but I'll tell you what I want after you tell me what you have to offer."

"I'll let you kill me."Avery answered impulsively, "but only _you._ I don't want any of your Hench-monkeys coming after me when I win."

Adrian swore. Red John on the other hand sent out vibes of satisfaction. "I like the way you think."

_It's Adrian who's doing majority of the thinking here. I'm just being impulsive._ Avery shrugged. "Then do we have a deal?"

"Yes, we have a deal. I'm going to enjoy painting your hair a passionate red. Red with your own blood, like I did with your aunt."

"Great, now beat it. My bed is calling my name." She yawned right on cue.

Red John picked up the tea cup and waved his gun at her. "Please go open the door."

Avery did as he told.

"Now go upstairs. I'll see myself out. Thanks for the tea."

Avery watched from the top of the stairs as he left. "Should I go after him?"

"_No, he'll shoot you."_

Avery sat down. "…Did I do the right thing? Maybe I should have tried to attack him."

"_You think that _now_?" _

She could feel the what-are-you-stupid look he was probably giving her.

"_Besides, what good would that have done? You would have been killed. Then your uncle would have spiraled into insanity. And that would have led to two outcomes a) your uncle would have completely lost his mind to depression, b) he would have lost his sanity and become a full-fledged psychopath." _

"What would I do without you?" Avery smiled.

His answer was immediate and without hesitation. _"Act like a dumb gorilla and get slaughtered by a serial killer."_

"…Oh, right. Thanks."

"_Good night." _Adrian hung up. Avery sighed and lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. _I just made a deal with the devil… _

Then something occurred to her. "The bastard stole the tea cup!"

* * *

_**Please Review~ **_


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